The V&A Diary 2011 is published to coincide with the V&A's major Quilt exhibition opening in March 2010. This exhibition will showcase the V&A's collection of patchwork and quilted covers to bring together over 300 years of British quilting history, from the spectacular bed hangings and silk coverlets of the 18th century, to the creative reinvention of the quilt by contemporary artists. Quilts are valued as objects of solace and comfort and they also document love and marriage, births and deaths, periods of intense patriotic fervour and developments in taste and fashion. The extraordinary variety of each object testifies to the skill of its maker, challenging the assumption that stitching is simply 'women's work'. The diary showcases a selection of quilts from the exhibition but also included are unseen images of details, reverse sides plus sewing equipment such as needles, etuis and other related ephemera. It is a feast of colour, pattern and detail that will delight anyone interested in needlework.